The knitting on the first tree garland is complete, but I still need to block and string them for a garland. I probably won't put it all together until I am finished with the second set of trees, because I am not sure if I want two separate color schemes or to alternate the trees on each garland.

I've also finished a scrappy crocheted basket that will be a gift, as well. Even though I should be working on one of three or four designs right now, I have taken a break and I'm working a bit more on the baptismal gown, which is so close to being finished. I kind of want to get enough progress made that it can be my weekend project again, and still finish it within the month or so.

The gown pattern is beautiful, but aside from my needing to adjust it for the gauge of the yarn I wanted to use (which is on me), it is a pattern that I wish were more elegantly designed. There is a lot about it that I would have designed differently. I should write up my notes on that. I would have made the cable patterns to be divisible into each other, for one. As it is, the smaller cable is a six round repeat. The main cable motif is 16 rounds. So, it takes three full repetitions of the center cable before you are back to the beginning of the smaller one. This could have been avoided by making the smaller cable either a four or eight round repeat. The pattern has you divide for the back in a manner which means that your cable patterns aren't aligned, so I did that entirely in a different manner. At least I caught that soon enough to change it. Also, it has you make the divide much sooner than I think is necessary, which I didn't catch soon enough to alter. However, now I am nearly to the all stockinette portion, which ought to go more quickly, then the cabled sleeves, which aren't too long.

We are moseying through Emma and I have actually finished two books in the interim: Everthing Sad Is Untrue (A True Story) and Kitchen Yarns: Notes on Life, Love, and Food. Rich is still reading the former, so we can have a chance to discuss it a little with each other. I really enjoyed the latter, though not all the recipes were things which would delight me. I do adore food writing, though, and she tells her story well. Some of her discussions of her ex-husband and current husband in comparison are a bit too precious, and annoyed me on a few levels. And I really like Michael Ruhlman. Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages is back on my nightstand and I am reading a bit more now. Also, I finally bought a copy of You Are Peter, which I got a few pages into before Rich started reading it. Since I have plenty of other books in my stack, I am going to get back to it when he is finished.

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Labels: Around the World Stitch Along, Books, Design, FOs, Homemaking, Knitting, Patterns, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:01 AM